


Wounded

by FandomLastsForever



Series: Martial Arcs Week [6]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Established Relationship, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spoilers: Volume 4 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-08 21:44:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12262665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomLastsForever/pseuds/FandomLastsForever
Summary: Unaware until they land, Team RNJR discover that not all of them got out of the fight with the Nucklavee unscathed.





	Wounded

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6 of Martial Arcs Week: Angst  
> So sorry for the long wait! Had a lot of stuff going on and didn't have time to edit.

Silence.

Nothing but silence.

Normally he welcomed it. Silence meant peace. Silence meant certainty. Silence meant everything was right.

But today it meant none of that.

Today, as Ren sat in the waiting room, silence meant fear, pain, and loss. He didn't leave his seat. He didn't speak. He simply looked at his feet and waited, wondering why things had turned out like this.

_Everything seemed alright, he thought. How on earth did he get hit? When did it happen? How could I have missed it?_

**_"Hey, Ren."_ **

**_"We brought lunch."_ **

Ren stiffened, slowly lifting his gaze so his pink gaze met with blue and silver. Nora had a bottle of water and three small lunchboxes in her hands, while Ruby carried a blanket with a cartoon mascot on it. Both looked tired, but smiled all the same as they sat beside him.

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled

"You need to eat," Nora said softly, opening the water. "And you have to stay hydrated."

"Jaune wouldn't want you to be neglecting your health," Ruby added. "He'd want you to keep your strength up."

Ren glanced between them, sighing as he reluctantly taking the water and letting himself have a sip. He felt a small sense of relief as he felt the dryness in his throat ease. He hadn't realized how thirsty he had gotten.

Ruby placed the blanket around Ren's shoulders, smiling brightly as she gave him a gentle hug. "He's going to be fine, Ren. You'll see."

"...You don't know that, Ruby." Ren looked at her, heart heavy in worry. "You can't say he'll be fine when you don't know for sure."

"Of course I know. Jaune's a lot stronger than people give him credit for. He'll be fine." Ruby's smile grew as she stood, but the waver in her lips showed she didn't quite believe it herself. "I've gotta go check on my uncle. I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

"We'll be here," Nora assured, keeping an arm around Ren.

Ren watched Ruby leave before turning his attention to the lunchbox Nora held out to him. There were a couple of rice balls in this one, with some smaller strings of seaweed on the side. He took the one with the plum on the side and nibbled. It wasn't as good as the ones they'd make back in the kitchens of Beacon's dormitories, but it would be good enough to satisfy his hunger.

"You know," Nora muttered. "She apparently told the same thing to Jaune when we split up back at the mountains."

Ren looked at her, nearly choking on his food. "She did?"

"Mh-hm. Apparently, Jaune was just as worried about us as we are about him. Even told her the same thing you just did." She picked at some of the seaweed, being careful not to eat too fast. "Ruby's just trying to keep us all calm and collected. It's what she does. It's kind of her thing, bring the hero, you know? Like someone else we know."

Ren sighed and looked back to the ground, tears pricking his eyes. "I should apologize to her when she gets back...I shouldn't have said that to her, especially after everything..."

"Sounds like a good plan," Nora agreed, lightly rubbing his back. "Do you need anything?"

Ren thought about it as he finished the lunch. There was a lot he probably needed. Sleep, for one. And probably a bath would be a good idea. He'd been in the waiting room for a few days now. He needed to eat more. And get some training in.

But that wasn't what he could focus on.

"I just need him to be okay," he whispered. "I need Jaune to be okay..."

Nora set the boxes and the water aside, pulling Ren into a tender embrace as he began to cry into her shoulder. All the worry and frustration, all the pain, seemed to pour out of him with little to no warning. The flashes of the ruins of his home, the sight of Jaune collapsing once the ships landed, the panicked calls from the medics. It all wore him down until the world was a blur.

It was all too much.

He'd had enough.

And so he cried, letting everything go until the tears ran their trails across his cheeks. Nora remained silent, holding him close as he wept.

Before long, the exhaustion finally caught up to him, and Ren slowly drifted to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

**_"Excuse me?"_ **

When Ren awoke, he found his head resting on a small pillow on Ruby's lap, still in the empty waiting room of the hospital. Nora had gone to take care of lodging for them while he had been sleeping. Slowly he sat up, his hair draped over his shoulder in a braid. He figured one of the girls had done it when he wasn't aware.

**_"Pardon me, sir?"_ **

Ren looked up, his eyes sore from all the crying he'd done. Before him stood a nurse with kind eyes and a soothing smile. He couldn't place it, but something about her seemed calming. Perhaps it was her Aura.

"Are you Mr. Arc's friends?" she asked calmly.

"Yes," Ren said, a tad too fast but he didn't care. "Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay."

"He's recovering," the nurse explained. "Not sure how he managed to survive those claw wounds, but the doctors were able to treat him in time. He's just asleep now. He should make a full recovery."

"Thank goodness," Ruby sighed, looking at him. "You hear that Ren? Jaune's going to be okay."

"Can we see him?" Ren asked. "Please?"

The nurse let out a heartbroken sigh."I'm afraid only immediate family only-"

"Ren's his fiancé."

Ren turned his gaze to Ruby, brows furrowed in confusion. It was true he'd had feelings for Jaune, but the two of them only just started dating not long ago. They weren't nearly that close yet, so why lie about it?

But Ruby merely smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder, keeping her head high as she continued the lie.

"Would it be alright if Jaune's fiancé went in to see him?"

The nurse looked at Ren, brow raised. "Is it true?"

Ren smiled fondly and nodded. "Yeah."

"Then it's fine," the nurse affirmed, giving him a wink. "He's in room 106 when you're ready." With a click of the heal she turned and continued on her way.

Ruby looked at Ren, giving his hand a light squeeze. "You should go. He's probably waiting for you."

Ren didn't move right away. He wanted to ask her why she lied for him, especially after earlier. He wanted to apologize. He wanted her to come with him.

But Ruby just gave him a playful push, winking playfully as she whispered, "We'll talk later. Go."

With a quick nod, Ren hurried to the room he was told was Jaune's, waiting only for a moment before heading inside.

The setting sun bathed the room in a soft amber glow. There wasn't a lot in the room, only a few chairs and a bedside table next to the hospital bed itself. Ren made a note to bring something to liven up the place. He tiptoed quietly over to the bed, sitting in one of the chairs and taking Jaune's hand in his. Jaune didn't react. He was still under from the medicine. Ren bit back a whimper as he placed a light kiss to his cheek.

_His skin is like ice. How long was he planning on hiding the injuries? He knows we'd worry more if he..._

Ren shook the thought from his head. Of course he'd probably think hiding it was the better solution. They've been through so much in the past year, but they were still the same people. The only difference was they had a better understanding of what they'd gotten into.

That meant Jaune was still Jaune, and he'd still hide what was really going on with him. Even if it was something he really shouldn't be hiding.

"You're such an idiot," Ren muttered, trying not to break down again. "You need to tell us if your hurt. We can't help you if you're not honest with us. That's how you got into that mess with Cardin, remember?" He let out a gentle chuckle as he thought back to their days at Beacon. "When you get up, I'm giving you a pretty hefty workout. We'll be learning every dance in the books. And you'll be training from sunrise to midnight. And...and we'll..."

Ren felt as though he couldn't bring himself to continue. Jaune would hear all this when he woke up, so there was really no point in saying it now when he wasn't listening.

_But even still._

"We'll go for long walks in the park," he added. "And we'll cook together every night. We'll sing songs and work on battle strategies and make plans for the future. Any future you want, so..." Ren's voice softened, cracking slightly. "Please get better soon okay?"

_"...Okay..."_

The slight wheeze pulled Ren's attention, and he glanced over Jaune's face to see the faint specks of blue between his half closed eyes. He was awake, and he was smiling like a goddamn fool.

"You're awake!" Ren gasped. "How're you feeling?"

"Pretty crummy," Jaune croaked. "But I'll be okay...are you alright?"

Ren tried to remain calm, but he could only shake his head. Of all the things Jaune had to ask him, it was that? "I'm fine, but...you gave us a pretty nasty fright."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"I know you didn't...But...Please don't do it again?"

Jaune managed a nod, closing his eyes. "I promise, I'll try not to..."

Ren smiled, gently curling up beside him when Jaune pats the empty spot on the bed, which was surprisingly spacious. "Good. Now get some rest, okay?"

"Okay..."

Ren held him close, careful not to cause him any pain. There would be a lot to talk about when Jaune woke up again. How they'd have to pretend to be engaged until Jaune was discharged, talking about Ruby and Nora, and what they would do from this point going forward. There was far too much to talk about, and far too little time.

But Ren didn't care. That could all wait, just for a little while. For now, he held Jaune close, letting him sleep and keeping a watchful eye on him so he didn't disappear.

**Author's Note:**

> So it might be too late to submit these but I had to at least post them. You all deserve a completed week.  
> A lot of stuff has been going on these past couple of weeks that made me fall behind. I'm doing my best to get caught up on projects.
> 
> Thank you all for your patience and I hope you enjoy the stories!


End file.
